Keyboard no longer illuminates in low light

The keyboard is supposed to illuminate in low light. I checked the keyboard preferences and enabled it, but it doesn't do what it's supposed to. It's been like this for a long time. It must have quit with one of the OS updates, but I don't know with which one.
This is what I have: MacBook Pro, Mac OS X (10.7.5), 2.8 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 4 GB RAM

Hi again,
An update. After I posted my initial message last night I checked to see if my iSight camera was working. I opened up PhotoBooth and all looked fine. I closed PhotoBooth. My keyboard illuminated. It's been fine since then, including the latest Mac updates installed after my post last night, the firmware update also no problem. Keyboard still looking good. However, I still have this green light that shows up when F6 is depressed. Odd that. Now, I will say that when trying to go to the Support area on Apple tonight the keyboard lighting went off until I closed Safari (3.2.3, 5525.28.3). When re-opened it was again normal with the background lighting returned.
Any ideas on the green light? Is it part of a problem that needs to be looked at? Also, the lighting hadn't changed when Safari was being used when the lighting went off. Any ideas on what's happening there as well?
Thanks once again for any input. Much appreciated.
Lynn

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Keyboard No Longer Illuminates in Low Light Conditions

Hi there,
Tonight I turned on my MacBook Pro (purchased January 2008). The keyboard doesn't light up at all. I recently installed 10.5.7 and I'm not sure if it's worked since that install. I've checked the keyboard and also display preferences. Everything looks fine there.
Any ideas on how to remedy the situation? One thing I did notice was that when I depress F6 a green light illuminates behind that key. Is this normal? The display dimming is working properly, only the keyboard is not lighting up as it should.
Tips, guidance, etc. much appreciated. Thanks in advance!
Lynn

Hi again,
An update. After I posted my initial message last night I checked to see if my iSight camera was working. I opened up PhotoBooth and all looked fine. I closed PhotoBooth. My keyboard illuminated. It's been fine since then, including the latest Mac updates installed after my post last night, the firmware update also no problem. Keyboard still looking good. However, I still have this green light that shows up when F6 is depressed. Odd that. Now, I will say that when trying to go to the Support area on Apple tonight the keyboard lighting went off until I closed Safari (3.2.3, 5525.28.3). When re-opened it was again normal with the background lighting returned.
Any ideas on the green light? Is it part of a problem that needs to be looked at? Also, the lighting hadn't changed when Safari was being used when the lighting went off. Any ideas on what's happening there as well?
Thanks once again for any input. Much appreciated.
Lynn

HT4882 Apple Support Update: No longer an option to Automatically illuminate keyboard in low light.

This Apple Support page appears to be outdated:
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4882
My Mid 2012 MacBook Pro has no option to Automatically illuminate keyboard in low light.
The option now offered, Adjust keyboard brightness in low light, does not enable the keyboard backlight to be completely turned off.
The ability to completely turn off keyboard backlighting should be an option, Apple -- get on it, please. Every little bit of energy which users can opt to save will extend charge duration and battery life, and thus should be provided.
Also, in certain situations, I want less light, and the light from the keyboard is at those times a cause of light pollution and distraction.
Message was edited by: AdamsFruit to include image.

I've found an answer to my question about how to turn off the keyboard backlighting on the mid 2012 MacBook Pro 13":
The F5 function key's primary function is as the Keyboard Backlight Dimmer, and can dim keyboard backlighting all the way to nothing. (F6 is Keyboard Backlight Brightener).
Nonetheless, This Apple Support page is still incorrect:
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4882

10.6.7 bugs "Illuminate keyboard in low light conditions"

After I update to 10.6.7, my backlight keyboard from my MBP, make problems.
So, I enter on System Preferences > Keyboard > Keyboard and then I deactivate "Illuminate keyboard in low light conditions". After this I use the manual commands from F8, F9, F10. When I use manual, the "Illuminate keyboard in low light conditions" active again.
Conclusion: even when I use manual commands for keyboard illumination, that option activate only. Any key I press when that option is not active, it`s activating only.
So I think that a bug...
Message was edited by: Dorin Andreescu

Hi, here I have the same behavior, and I also think it's a BUG, because if I configure the machine to manually adjust the intensity of something, I expect the machine to behave like I want and not like it WANTS.
This is almost the same as the first time I installed Windows 95, that shi7 take over the control of my computer!
I want to CONTROL my laptop!!!!!

HT4882 Option disappeared: "Automatically illuminate keyboard in low light"

Greetings,
My backlight keyboard use to work, but now it doesn't and the option to "Automatically illuminate kayboard in low light" is missing.
1) I have done SMC reset
2) VRAM Reset
3) All other top row functions like screen brightness and sound work
4) if I press option + f5 or option +f6 the keyboard system preferences window opens up.
5) nothing happens at all when f5 or f6 is pressed alone.
Did apple remove support for my backlight in Mountain Lion 10.8????

Hi,
I am also having the same issue, keyboard backlight is inactive, noway i cam make it active.
In the key board system prefrence "Automatically illuminate kayboard in low light" is missing too.
Supersingly it all got started only after i upgraded the OS from Snow Leopard to Mountain Lion. Even though the latest software update to 10.8.2, it's not been fixed.
Anyone having any working idea to address this issue?
Hope apple support will come out with some solution for this.
Thanks

Illuminate keyboard in low light conditions box is missing under keyboard preferences and my keyboard backlight is not lit. Any help?

"illuminate keyboard in low light conditions " box is missing under keyboard preferences and my keyboard backlight is not lit.
Any help?

Did you used to have the option? I did, and when my keyboard backlight stopped working, I followed instructions on 'Resetting the System Management Controller' http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3964. After I did that, the menu option completely disappeared, and I can't get it back.
I have the 2010 MacBook Pro (Intel), it used to work, but since moving to Lion, it hasn't, and now the option is gone altogether.

The Illuminated lights on my keyboard no longer work

I just noticed last night that my Mac Book Pro's Illuminated keyboard lights no longer work. They used to work without any problems but now they don't. I don't use this feature often, so I don't know how long the problem has been occuring. I only just noticed it last night.
I tried resetting the PRAM and the power management, to no avail. The "Illuminate keyboard in low-light settings" button is checked in system preferences.
The strange thing is, I can press the keyboard light controllers on the keyboard and the indicator of the light level appears on the screen, but the lights don't actually come on.
The ambient light settings for the display are working fine. I don't understand what's going on with the keyboard lights. It's very irritant.
My Macbook Pro is one of June 2007's models, the Santa Rosa 15", 2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo. It came with Tiger and I upgraded to Leopard in December. Last week I upgraded to 10.5.3. Thanks in advance for any help!

Yes, as I said in my first post, that box is toggled. It still doesn't work. I've tried turning it off and back on and it still doesn't work.
I haven't even had this computer for a year yet already it's breaking down. 3 months after I bought I had to have the LED replaced because it was defective, and now this.
Why is this professional laptop that costs as much as it does breaking down after barely a year? I never had these problems with my IBM ThinkPad laptop. I only needed to take it in for support after 4 years of solid performance.
I don't expect to see these problems in a supposedly professional computer that is barely a year old.
Oh well.
Message was edited by: orbit82
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MBA 11" backlit keyboard no longer lighting automatically

The backlit keyboard on my MBA 11" is no longer responding to the "automatically illuminate keyboard in low light" option in System Preferences. I can control the backlights manually with F5 and F6, but they don't come on automatically in the dark (easily testing by covering the camera).
Originally, the F keys would even be completely inactive, with a line appearing across the on-screen brightness display to say the control was on automatic, but that doesn't happen any more.
I have reset the SMC, but that has changed nothing. The automatic brightness control on the display works fine.

I am replying to my own post, as I don't see a way to edit it.
While researching this issue further, I found a "work-around" from a user called Golden Shoes - where the creation of a .css file is decribed in expert, easy to follow detail. This worked perfectly, and I have since infected my other toys with this fix for Safari zoom levels...

Why is the keyboard brightness of my new macbook pro retina is behaving in an opposite manner in low light

I racently bought a 13'' macbook pro with retina display (late 2013) and everything works fine with the exeption of the keyboard brightness. when I chose the adjust function in low light it suppose to increase the brightness of the keyboard during dim light, however, it's doing quite the opposite and the brightness is dicreasing making it harder to see the letters, how can I fix this problem?

Hi BobRz, you are probably talking about the screen display which normaly dims during low light conditions, and that's true. but my concern is the keyboard brightness, it suppose to increase in low light conditions, but instead it dims to the point that i can no longer see the letters on the keyboard. I have viewed a youtube video about the normal adustment function, and mine is doing the opposite

My backlit keyboard will not go off automaticaly i have the box checked but it still doesn't turn on and off. i am having to do it using the f5 and f6 keys. anyone know how to make it work automatically in low light?

i am having a problem with my back lit keyboard on my 13in mac book pro. i have the box checked in the keyboard setting for auto so the keyboard should turn on and off in low light conditions but it doesnt. anyone know how i can getit to work properly?

I have taken it back to the Apple store genius bar, but they say they don't see anything wrong. Well unless you use it all day and experience the problems when they happen, you wont see anything wrong. But there are lots wrong with it. But this would be the same store as I purchased the phone. And they backed up my old Iphone 4, but were not able to get anything to load back onto my new phone. So, I lost pretty much everything. But over time, some of my contacts have started showing up, although i am still missing over 800 of them.

5d mark III focusing slowly/etc. in low light wedding receptions

I've been using 5d2s for a long time because I am simply not rich enough (and I don't want the huge body either) to buy 1d-series cameras for work. I've shot about 20 weddings with the 5d3 since I bought it, and I finally sent it in to Canon the other day for an autofocus checkup.
My #1 issue is reception autofocus. My 5d2s beat my 5d3 at reception focusing (with 580EX AF assist always used). They are more reliable for AI servo and faster for one-shot.
My 5d3 struggles to acquire in one-shot, taking probably close to 2 real seconds (it feels like forever) to establish and confirm a lock on a static subject during wedding receptions with lenses like 24L II, 35L, 50L. In contrast, in the exact same lighting conditions and with the same lenses and flash AF assist, my 5d2s all snap right to focus and I click the shutter within about 1 second or less, getting an in-focus image about 90-95% of the time.
With AI servo, the 5d3 is just inferior to my 5d2s in low light. I was hoping, one day, to get a camera that would give me the ability to track subjects well during processionals/grand entrances/reception dances using the outer points, because I'm pretty tired of being stuck with center-point framing for these situations. I thought the 5d3 was supposed to solve that problem, but in fact it took a step backward in low light AI servo accuracy and locking. My 5d2s (center point) both acquire faster and track better in low light than my 5d3 (center point also).
After sending the 5d3 in to get it checked (and so they could charge me $175+), I got a nice copy of the page saying that the camera focus in low light is blah blah etc. etc. use AF assist (which I had noted I did) and the overall feeling was that they were very condescending and disregarding of my equipment issue. To me, a $3500 camera should perform better than a camera that is now worth ~$1300...and so the 5d3 performs arguably better in GOOD light, simply because it has more focus points to choose from which are generally pretty accurate - in GOOD light. However, it performs worse in reception light. Wedding photographers will understand what I mean by reception light.
My 5d2 AI servo is not useless during receptions, but my 5d3 AI servo struggles more in the same reception lighting. My 5d2 one-shot locks quickly and pretty accurately during receptions, while my 5d3 takes significantly longer in one-shot to lock, and sometimes it gives me pretty wild misses, during receptions. Always using AF assist with 580EX, and btw the 5d3 firmware is the latest version (1.2.3 at this time). The camera simply focuses slower during receptions than my 5d2s, and AI servo misses more.
I also don't like that AF points don't light up before focusing, but this is less important to me than a fast, responsive AF system for wedding receptions. I have had to put away the 5d3 on multiple occasions and bring out a second 5d2 for wedding receptions just so I can get good dancing photos, good speech/toasting photos, etc., before all the key moments went by and ohhhh too late, my focus system didn't lock in time...
I have been having this issue with 5d3 performance since I bought it close to a year ago. I do wedding photography primarily, and I have quite a bit of experience shooting weddings and dealing with the various demands of weddings.
Most of my AF experience is with single point, with only a few experiences using the expansion settings. I have never had trouble locking or tracking with single point with my 5d2s as long as there was enough light to do it, and being used to that I expected the 5d3 to be able to perform at LEAST comparably. It does not.
At this point, this critical functional limitation of the 5d3 has left me very dissatisfied with the camera. I thought upgrades were supposed to do everything just as well or better than the previous version, but this newest camera has shown me that more AF points definitely does NOT mean a better (or even comparable) AF system in every situation. Clearly something was traded off when they added a ton of cross-type points, like low light acquisition speed and being able to see your AF points illuminate when you start AF.
I've been playing around with Nikon equipment for a while and am beginning to think that is my forced alternative. I don't like the things I hear about Nikon customer support, and I don't really like the direction they are going with some of their releases or how they handled function issues (focus issues with off-center focus points, oil on sensors, etc.) but Canon isn't innocent of that stuff either. And if I use an all-Nikon setup then I will have excellent dynamic range at low ISOs as well. Too bad Nikon doesn't have the glass I like best (35L, 85L, etc.)...but compromises must be made in some direction, and I'm intensely frustrated with Canon's latest cameras' focusing systems in low light.
It's very specific, mind you: Low light performance is inferior to my 5d2s. In good light, my 5d3 has better AF flexibility for tracking with outer points, and the one-shot focus acquisition is comparable to my 5d2s.

This singular issue of the 5d3 has ensured that I will never buy another one (unless they fix that, which they won't). Unlike what I did with the 5d2 (upgraded to 5d2s towards the end of their product cycle), the 5d3 is too impaired for low light photography for me to be able to replace my 5d2s with 5d3s. I can only hope the next generation will NOT have the same low light focus delays...otherwise I might have to buy a few 6Ds just to keep up with more current tech (since my 5d2s will wear out eventually). I've heard they don't have the same doublechecking delay, but they also have other limits that I dislike (1/4000 ss, 1/180 flash sync, no pc sync port, SD memory only) and will have to work around.

Faulty Wireless Bluetooth Keyboard no longer turning on!

Hi, got a mini mac which i brought a few months ago, anyway the other day i turned it on (mainly use a pc) and the keyboard no longer switches on, ive changed the batteries etc.. but the 'on' light still doesnt light up. Ive looked all around the apple website for a phone number so i can call them up and send it back etc.. but i cant see it anywhere in the support pages!
I havent got the original receipt, will i still be ok returning it ????
Or is it easier to just take it to the main Apple store in regent street (live quite near) ?
Cheers,
Keith

Hi Keith:
Welcome to Apple discussions.
I think I would take it to the store. They can test it there to see if it is faulty. Apple should also have the information about your mini (take the serial number). I assume that the keyboard was purchased at the same time as your mini.
Barry

Backlit keyboard no longer working.

I just recently upgraded my 2010 macbook pro RAM. I went from 4gb to 6gb and now my backlit keyboard is no longer working. I have tried messing with the keyboard settings as well as the F5 and F6 buttons. The keyboard does not even come on in low lit conditions. Why is my backlit keyboard no longer working?

Hi...
Try Resetting your Mac's PRAM and NVRAM
If that doesn't help, try Resetting the System Management Controller (SMC)

My Logitech keyboard no longer connects to my iPad mini?

My Logitech keyboard no longer connects to my iPad mini?

Is your keyboard charged?
If it is, then ...
on your iPad go to Settings > Bluetooth
1) Does your keyboard appear under Devices?
2) Does it appear under Now Discoverable?
If the answer to (2) is yes, touch it to discover it, and then it should appear under Devices.
If the answer to (1) is yes, touch it to connect to it.
If you have done the above and it refuses to connect, then touch the little blue i beside your keyboard's name, and then choose Forget this Device.
Now turn your keyboard off and then on. The little light on your keyboard should come on. See if it appears on your iPad as discoverable.
If that doesn't work press the button on the behind the power slider on your keyboard. The light on the keyboard should flash blue. Now see if it is discoverable.
If that still doesn't work Reset your iPad, then turn your keyboard off and on.
to Reset your iPad: Hold both the Home and Power buttons down for about 10 seconds until the Apple logo appears. Let go promptly when the logo appears. Wait another 30 seconds for your iPad to turn itself on. No data will be lost.

Tips for avoiding "noisy" images in low-light

Hi all,
I noticed that there are a lot of users here who are complaining of noisy images especially in low-light. I'm not a professional photographer or anything but I have been playing a lot with the camera of my Xperia Z1 and I did have noisy images also at first.
Here is my tip: Use these settings:
Go to Manual Mode.
Shoot in either 8MP 4:3 or 16:9 (don't worry about not making use of the 20MP, because its still doing oversampling to improve the quality of the 8MP image by making use of the whole 20MP sensor).
Set Stabilizer to off
ISO to Auto (if you prefer more detailed images, set ISO to a lower value but take note of the exposure of the image and that there is a chance of motion blur due to the longer shutter speed necessary to capture low light at low ISO)
WB Auto (or your preference).
With the setting I use above, I've seen improvements on low-light capability (indoors, artificial lighting, or night outdoor scene for example) and quality of my camera pictures. Note though that this will not be applicable for extreme low-light. Its very normal to capture really noisy images when shooting in extreme low-light (even my dedicated compact camera has troubles too).
Here is my theory why its taking noisy images by default. In Superior Auto, I analyzed the EXIF data of the pictures I've shot. It seems that Superior Auto is really excessive in bumping up the ISO (thus resulting in more noisy images) to compensate for having a faster shutter speed (reduced motion blur). Thus what you get is a noisy image that is bright and freezes the motion. For example, test it out that in Superior Auto, even minute movements of the phone will trigger the Sports Mode (running man icon near the button) prioritizing a faster shutter speed at the cost of a higher ISO.
Another reason I have for turning off the Stabilizer in Manual Mode is the same. In contrast to Steady Shot used in recording movies (sensor based shift to compensate for handshake movements), I think the Stabilizer option basically just bumps up the ISO also to compensate for handshake movements. I"m not entirely 100% sure but so far, I've been satisfied with taking images with the Stabilizer Off.
Please feel free to test it out and report the results if there have been improvements. I'm still testing it out too! One of the things I wish for Sony to put in the Camera App are just these 3 things:
1.) Holding Shutter Key will open the Camera app with the LAST CONFIGURED SETTINGS
2.) Maximum ISO can be set in Manual Mode
3.) Scene AUTO mode for Manual Mode (I know it might be redundant but it would be nice to have Auto mode for 4:3 orientation images).
Again, hope to hear from others what are their settings or if they notice any improvements in images captured.
Thanks!

Hi, there is a FAQ related to this topic.
http://talk.sonymobile.com/t5/FAQ/Capture-better-photos-in-low-light-conditions/m-p/395397#U395397
Don't forget to mark correct answer as Accepted Solution.
If you find the post helpful, press Kudos.

Keyboard no longer illuminates in low light

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